


the very essence of romance is uncertainty

by Aslee



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eddie Kaspbrak Lives, M/M, Post-Canon, Second Person, Way - Freeform, but like in a, idk this is the fic i'm the least proud of i've ever written, it's an, outside perspective
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-13 00:22:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20573369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aslee/pseuds/Aslee
Summary: "Eddie Kaspbrak hasn't been at work in a couple of days, and it's starting to get to you. It's not the unexplained absence or the missed calls that had your hackles up. He'd been gone for a handful of days, no more than he was when he thought he had the flu, and he didn't like to take work calls around Myra. But there was something else, this time. Anxiety had started buzzing in your bones when Eddie called to ask you to take a couple of meetings for him. Something was wrong. Something big."or: A look at Eddie and Richie, post-canon, and the effect they have on each other's lives.





	the very essence of romance is uncertainty

**Author's Note:**

> title from oscar wilde, as per. this time from _the importance of being earnest_. as usual, i take him wildly out of context, but i feel that good ol' oz would appreciate it.

Eddie Kaspbrak hasn't been at work in a couple of days, and it's starting to get to you. It's not the unexplained absence or the missed calls that had your hackles up. He'd been gone for a handful of days, no more than he was when he thought he had the flu, and he didn't like to take work calls around Myra. But there was something else, this time. Anxiety had started buzzing in your bones when Eddie called to ask you to take a couple of meetings for him. Something was wrong. Something big. 

At first, your brain had jumped to Myra-- What if she'd finally done something drastic? You spent the weekend worrying if you should call someone. The cops? A social worker? Myra has always rubbed you the wrong way. You would never say this to his face, but you're sure the only reason Eddie ever needs his inhaler is because he can feel Myra's hands around his throat, squeezing. The theory broke on Monday morning when Myra called the office to ask if you've heard from her husband. 

You foisted the call off on your assistant and rushed to your boss, immediately. 

Nothing happened. 

No one else seemed to care. 

Which made sense, in an awful sort of way. Eddie was a grown man, after all, and he'd had more than enough vacation time saved up. Besides, you were the only person in the office who liked Eddie. After all, you were the one who didn't care about his freakouts and his laundry list of needs. That's why you shared an office-- You didn't give a fuck about any of that. Eddie was a good man. One of the best men you'd ever worked with. He didn't care when you came out, made sure you got to spend time with the kids-- So what if he sometimes lost it? He was only looking out for you, even the ones who went out of their way to make his life a living hell. 

He finally called you, Tuesday morning, to tell you he was in the hospital-- It wasn't the first time he's called with that news. The difference this time was that Eddie was oddly reticent about how he ended up there in the first place. Usually, he enthused in talking about every symptom that had been plaguing him. When you pressed, though, he only got cagier.

"It's complicated," Eddie said, "I'll explain when I get home, okay?" 

"Of course," you agreed. You're only his coworker, after all, even though you're pretty sure you're the closest thing Eddie has to a friend in New York. Even if it wasn't okay, though, you wouldn't tell Eddie that-- He got enough of that shit from his wife. "I'll cover for you. Stay as long as you need." 

"Thanks," Eddie said-- Or tried to, anyway. It got drowned out by someone else's voice on the other side of the line. 

"Eds!" the voice said. It was a man's voice, followed by the chatter of a group. You're stunned, for a second, because Eddie hated most nicknames. You know this because once, after working together for six months, you called him 'Ed' as a joke and he'd told you to shut the fuck up. He'd looked horrified after, and apologized profusely, but you'd never dared try it again. 

You heard the shift of sheets, Eddie pressing the phone into his shoulder, but it wasn't enough to completely muffle the rest of the conversation. "Don't call me--" 

"I seduced the nurse into letting us stay for the night," the voice said, and something about it seemed familiar in a way you couldn't put your finger on. You'd never met any of Eddie or Myra's family before. 

"And by that, he means we bribed her," another voice said, stuttering over the hard consonants of his words. 

"No, you and Ben bribed her," a third voice said, this one deep and warm. You could hear his smile in his voice. Even though you were happily married, you had a moment of pure irrationality where you thought about asking Eddie for his number. "Bev and I smiled and looked pretty." 

"Mikey-moo, you are the prettiest of us all," the first voice said. After that, Eddie shifted again, and the voices dissolved into a conversation of their own in the background. 

"Sorry about that," Eddie said, but he didn't sound sorry at all. In fact, for the first time since you'd known him, Eddie sounded content. Happy. 

"I'm just glad you're not alone," you confessed. You hadn't even known Eddie had that many friends. You'd obviously misjudged him. "Do you need me to bring you anything?" 

Eddie laughed. "You're not coming to Maine to bring me paperwork." 

"You're in Maine?" 

"Yeah," Eddie said, and there was something in his voice that told you that he couldn't quite believe it either. "I grew up here." You blinked. You hadn't known that, either. Why hadn't you known that? "Listen, I know I'm already asking a lot here, but…"

"I'm pretty sure I owe you, Kapsbrak." You cut him off. More than anything, you were intrigued about what it could be. Eddie never asked for help, determined to prove his never-ending list of allergies didn't make him weak. It had gotten you both into trouble more times than you could count, but you couldn't help but be fond of that iron in his spine. 

Eddie sighed. "This is weird, but could you not tell Myra where I am?"

There was a beat, Eddie breathing nervously on the other line, while you exploded with glee. "Eddie," you told him, faux-solemn, "nothing in this world would bring me more pleasure." 

Eddie groaned on the other side of the line. 

"You okay?" 

"Yeah," Eddie said. His voice sounded almost amused, not pained, and the sudden tension faded from your shoulders. "I'm realising why I put up with you, is all." 

"Oh, thanks, Kaspbrak." 

Before Eddie can respond, that voice interrupted again. "Spaghetti! Who are you talking to? Are they hot?" A brief commotion interrupted on the other side of the line. "Hello, Richie Tozier speaking, what are you wearing?" 

You burst into laughter as you heard Eddie swear on the other side of the line. A flurry of noise took over the phone, the tell-tale sounds of a struggle peeking through the nonsense. When Eddie accidentally hung up on you moments later, you were still laughing.

**Author's Note:**

> more coming soon! i have one more planned with the current pov, one planned w/ richie's manager, and one planned w/ a fan of richie's. if you have any more suggestions, let me know! currently, my writing blog is @asleeg and my personal is @grandwretch on tumblr. hit me up <3


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